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Hurricane Primer

Hurricane Primer

Having lived in Florida for almost 17 years, I’ve experienced my share of hurricanes. While they can be frightening, they are nothing to fear if you’re properly prepared. You don’t have to buy super fancy bulletproof windows or military ration MRE packs. You can get by with some simple supplies and smart spending.

First off, Hurricane winds can range from 76 miles per hour to up to 156 miles per hour. They blow around, picking up dust, debris, dirt, and plants. It’s not uncommon for a hurricane to blow whole trees over.

These simple preparations will keep you safe in your time under the big dark cloud.

When you first hear the hurricane is coming in, whether it be on the news or radio, you should fill all the tubs in your house full to the brim with water, while your power is on. There’s a good chance you’ll need this water for cooking, showering and flushing your toilet.

This may seem nasty to some, but the truth is, sometimes, during a hurricane, your water won’t work and your toilet just won’t flush.

Instead of picking a corner or getting a bucket, get the water from your filled tub, and put it in the back of your toilet. This allows it to flush, ONCE. You’ll need to refill the reservoir after every use.

If you don’t do this, you run the risk of making your toilet disgusting as well as messing up all your house’s plumbing.

Your second purchase should be a small generator. It’s extremely likely that your electricity will go out. Don’t go spending all your money on a super fancy generator that powers your whole neighborhood. You should get one that powers at least a TV.

The reason behind this is that instead of powering a fridge or microwave you want to power your radio to keep yourself updated on the news. In extreme cases, hurricanes can cause the officials to evacuate an area. You won’t know unless you keep an eye on the news.

In the same vein, having some flashlights won’t hurt.

At night, unless you want to light your whole house with candles, some good quality flashlights and extra batteries will work miracles. You might want to look into kerosene lamps.

What some forget is that when it comes to bad weather situations, you won’t have any phones, any video games or laptops. Getting some good, old fashioned board games and books can save you from the boredom and insanity.

Now to protection.

Hurricane winds, as stated before, can reach up to over 150 miles per hour. You’ll need to board up your windows. Go down to your local Home Depot or Lowes, and look for 3-ply plywood. You’ll need to get it in the size of your window, plus around 4 inches on all sides. You’ll need this so you have enough space to screw it onto your house.

Hopefully now you’re not as hopeless as when you clicked onto this page. While hurricanes can be very serious, the most important thing is to stay safe and stay calm.